Meeting With The Executives Of The National Association Of Nigerian Nurses And Midwives (NANNM)

Whereas a meeting with the executives of the NANNM kick-started at the Nurses House at about 12:40pm with the executives already seated prior to the arrival of the CRH Team. There was a warm exchange of pleasantries of the hosts and the guests which was immediately followed by the introduction of all present led by the NANNM’s General Secretary (GS) and his team as well as the ED of CRH, the total number in attendance of the meeting was seven.

The GS formerly quizzed the ED on the purpose of her visit, a question that set the ball of discussion rolling. The purpose of the visit was purely a message about the disrespect, lack of dignity and abused privacy experienced by patients in our health facilities across the nation which could actually be forestalled at no cost if there is a force that could champion the course, this she said was what she has personally experienced, narrating the ordeals of her condition as well as the circumstances of the negligence that led to the deaths of her sister and the wife of one of her staff; however, the cases cited are just an insignificant fraction in a myriad of such cases which are never reported, this and many more unprintable cases was what brought about the establishment of the Center for the Right to Health in 1999; all these occurrences are as a result of the bad ones (nurses) among the good ones, but she did not fail to mention that there are still good nurses who must be identified and rewarded. The message was very strong and clear to the point that she remarked a healthcare giver today can become a patient tomorrow. Further stressing, she made a clarion call for the reawakening of the spirituality in the nursing profession. So, there is a course to fight, hence the initiation of a project embarked upon by the centre – Accountability for Patients’ Rights and Respectful Maternal Care.

The GS in response, alluded to the fact that our health system has a lot of issues unattended to by the government and that somebody must start the fight (the point at which he commended the ED on what her organization is doing). He pledge the unflinching support of the NANNM but requested that all the ED’s submissions should be forwarded in a written/proposal format where the concerns raised can be discussed in their organ meeting and possibly harmonize the concepts that could chart a pathway for collaboration.

Barr. Ikenna Eze, the Deputy General Secretary (DGS), adding his voice, said the Association is already in a like project – ‘Respectful Maternity Care’ which he said could just be a leeway to strengthening and quickening the success of the entire project if formidable partnership can be instituted which could automatically give birth to creating a strong MoU.

It is better to try and fail than not trying at all was the closing remark of the ED while she politely expressed her desire to be a member of the NANNM, but she was told by the GS that it was only possible through the due process of registration and promised communicating all the requirements to her in due course.

It was at this point the meeting was brought to a close with some snap shots of all the attendees and presentation of a complementary gift.

NANNM’s Attendees

Thomas A. Shettima – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ikenna Eze This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nuhu Dadi - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.